Procedure Guide: Word Origins

Purpose: To interest students in word origins.

Preparation

• Determine a theme for the word histories, such as compare modem English words with their Anglo-Saxon origins.
• Prepare a list of words within the theme for students to research.
• Have available a supply of dictionaries with adequate etymology entries ready.

Before

• Explain the purpose of the activity.
• Model researching one of the words, making sure students understand the process.

During

• In pairs, have students investigate the words.

After

• Have students share their findings with the entire class.
• Assign each student pair a particular word to write on a word card along with information about its origin.
• Mount the word cards on a focal wall.

Assessment

Accuracy of each pairs findings.

Accuracy of the information on the word card

Variations

• Have students compare modern English words of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) origin with those of Norman (Old French) origin; for example, cattle: the French-speaking Norman ruling class had beef on the table and the Anglo-Saxon herded cows in the field.
• Encourage students to research words borrowed from Native Americans, Spanish, French, etc.
• Encourage students to research words that are similar across several languages; for example, mother.